Plane for beginner

Re: Plane for beginner *LINK*

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

>Lie nielsen Low angle jack plane. Expensiove but it will allow you to hog wood, work end grain, works as a shooting plane and a second blade bevelled at 37.5 degrees gives you a york pitch smoother. Expensive at $225 but does a whole lot of tasks for that price.

Dan Clermont in Burnaby


Low ANgle Jack

Re: Plane for beginner

Richard Gillespie

>For the purpose you describe Lee Valley sells a low angle smoother that "out of the box" I found to be very good. As I remember it, it was in the neighborhood of $140.00. When I received mine all I had to do was hone the blade a little.

There was thing I found hard to get use to was the one adjustment knob that takes care of the depth and lateral adjustment. That took some getting use to but now I don't even give it a thought.

Re: Plane for beginner

Charles

>Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a 'beginner's plane.' A low angle plane, as has already been suggested, is the *correct* tool for the task you have at hand.

With that said, I wouldn't plan on opening the box, pulling the plane out, and using it like a pro.

You could do the job with a small block plane which would be less expensive, but more uncomfortable to use if you have a lot of material to remove.

A compromise, if you are not a dyed-in-the-wool hand tool woodworker, would be to get close to flat with a belt sander and do the final dressing with a plain-Jane Stanley block plane which will cost you less than $100.

The cutter ('plane iron') that comes with your plane will have to be honed before use. Do you know how to do that?

The only alternative would be the Rali brand of plane that uses what amounts to a razor blade as a cutter. They are generally not well thought of by hand tool enthusiasts, but might get you through this project.

Re: Plane for beginner

John, NY

>A Veritas #4 for $175 would be my choice. If you have less to spend then you'r either looking at a used #4 (you should probably stick to Stanley and be careful what you buy) or I have heard good things about the Indian Anant planes in that they are supposedly as good as the old Stanleys. That should only set you back $50 or so...

Re: Plane for beginner

Emily

>Hi all --

Thanks for the responses... Hmm... Well, I was planning on getting close to smooth with a belt sander, and its not a huge project -- maybe 12 inches by 16 inches... If I were to get a stanley block plane, what kind of honing might I need to do and do any of you know a good website that would explain how to do that in detail?

Thanks so much!

Emily

Re: Plane for beginner *LINK*

Eric Hedberg

>Emily,

Take a look at the Veritas Low Angle block plane by Lee Valley (link below) for your project. Larger planes have their place, but you will by far get the most utility out of a block plane. The price may seem high, but they are good out of the box and vastly superior to hardware store brands. I think you will find it will meet your needs on this projects and others you "fearlessly" attack. Eric

PS Check out the Fine Woodworking site archives for a review of Low Angle Block planes by Chris Gochnour


http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=32685&category=1,41182,41189&ccurrency=2&SID=

Re: Plane for beginner

Charles

>The back of the cutter will have to be flattened first and then the bevel honed. Plan on an hour and a half if you've never done it. But you'll probably come in a little faster.

As far as a guide sharpening, an internet search will yield hundreds of hits - many of them excellent.

Search on "honing plane irons" "sharpening planes" and verbiage like that.

Tons of books cover it - the classic is a book by Leonard Lee. Amazon search will get you that one.

Re: Plane for beginner *LINK*

MikeL in SoCal

>Hi Emily,

Stanley made a plane or three expressly for the purpose of planing butcher block endgrain (or at least that's how the legend goes). These are the #62, #64, and #164. They are uncommon, rare, and almost non-existent, respectively, so you're unlikely to find any of them at the local flea market. As others have mentioned, a few modern manufacturers make reproductions or redesigned models of these planes. As a fellow beginner, I'll second the suggestion that end grain is a tough way to get comfortable using hand planes. Also, be prepared to spend some time (and money) getting up to speed with sharpening.

Cheers,

Mike


Superior Works descriptions

Re: Plane for beginner

kees laan

>hi,

I would buy the Veritas 5 1/4 benchplane/LN lowangle jackplane and a lowangle Veritas/Lienielsen blockplane . Further watch every video/dvd about sharpening and of course the archives of badgerpond/WC

regards,

kees

Re: Plane for beginner

Steve Wargo

>Here's my $.02. Are you planning on using the tool a bunch or are you going to just use it for the occasional project? If this isn't something that you plan on mass producing then go to Woodcraft and pick up a Stanley 60 1/2 block plane for $44 and give it a shot. Sure it should be sharpened and honed and have the back flattened, but it's probably going to cut the end grain of a few cutting boards. If it doesn't then pick up a stone and some sand paper and flatten the iron back and hone it. I imagine that you just want to produce a finish that is acceptable and may be touched up with sand paper afterwards. If so give it a shot. If you're planning on doing a bunch of these then pick up a Hock replacement iron, also at your local WoodCraft, and fit it in. If you have Flea Markets around, then you may be able to find an old one for a few $$$. I hope this helps, just trying to give you a realistic, inexpensive solution. If you're not going to be planing 50 of these then there is no reason to spend $150+ on a LV Low angle jack or a LN Low angle block plane. But if $100 is not too much then is $150? And if $150 is not too much then why not $250, and so on and on. Really I hope this helps.

Re: Plane for beginner

Tony Z.

>Some observations: First, look in the mirror and ask yourself "What am I doing on top of this high, ice-covered hill?" Next, make sure you got some good ski poles to at least help slow you down a bit.

Its a very slippery slope and its a long way down. When you do get there, look for the broke down van, over by the river. Yes, its the one in the flood plane. Yes its the one with all the happy, drooling galoots fidgeting over all sorts of new and old tool gadgets. And yes, you'll find that there are hundreds of answers and opinions that will work. The trick is to find the one right for you. That's not so hard as it seems: simply buy one of the suggested items and use it and use it and use it.

Re: Plane for beginner

Ed Falis

>I'll second the vote for the LV low angle smoother. Unless you have the bucks for the LN jack plane that was suggested.

A low angle, adjustable-mouth block plane is probably a better first choice because you can use it in so many situations, but you have some special requirements here.

- Ed

Re: Plane for beginner *LINK*

Frank Mutchler in Colorado Springs

>I'd suggest you seriously consider the Lee Valley plane as well as the optional 'ball tail and knob' referenced by the link. Some folks believe that the reason these planes are called 'block' planes is that they were originally used for projects such as you describe.


LV Low Angle Block

Re: Plane for beginner

Roger Nixon

>Hi Emily,

Love the email name :). The courage to jump right in is more important than the tools themselves.

As you can see from the responses, there are a lot of good options but given your criteria, I think it would come down to the LN low angle jack plane or, if that is too expensive, the Lee Valley low angle snoothing plane.

In any case, you will need to know how to sharpen the blade and adjust the plane. Please practice on something other than your workpiece with your first plane (DAMHIKT).

You will soon find hand tools are so much fun you MUST HAVE MORE. Some call this "the slippery slope". You'll understand soon enough. The point is, either of the planes I mentioned will not become redundant as you build your working kit.

Re: Plane for beginner

Charles McKinley

>Hi Emily,

Brown.edu? Does brown have any woodworking classes? CMU offers a furniture design program that is why I ask. If you could get into their workshop you may be able to use some planes before you make your decision. If you can't take a class you may be able to find a mentor. If this type of course is not offered find the maintence carpentry shop. There may be someone there that would be willing and able to to help. It is amazing the help that is available if you ask. There may also be a woodworking club in your area. All ofthe planes mentioned will work. You will need sharpening stuff and that is a world all of its own. Pick a method and stick with it.

Welcome and good luck

Chuck

Scraper  *LINK*

Jim in Burlington

>


http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=46266&category=1%2C310&SID=&ccurrency=1

One other thing

Dan Donaldson

>There have been a lot of good ideas for a plane that will do what you want, so it will come down to your budget and preferences. Sharpening was mentioned, but, especially for what you are planning to do, it will be a critical part of getting things to work the way you would like. I would recommend either trying to find someone that knows how, or finding a class at a local Woodcraft or equivalent to show you how to sharpen the blade. All of the planes that were recommended come basically tuned out of the box, but for end grain, it is important to have that last little bit of sharpness. All of them will work a lot better with a bit of touchup.

If you cannot find a class or mentor, then I would recommend Leonard Lee'a book on sharpening. If you order a LV plane, you should be able to get it from there. The main thing is that if you cannot see yourself in the blade, it is probably not sharp enough.

PS> if you do order anything from LV or LN, be sure to tell them that Woodcentral sent you. Good Luck. It is a slippery slope. Before you know it, you will have so many planes you won't be able to remember how many there are;-)

Re: Plane for beginner

Emily

>Thanks Steve -- your response is a big help!

Re: Plane for beginner

Dmitri

>I would also add that Stanley 60 1/2 I bought a while ago did not have its sole flat and IMHO you really need to make it flat, which can be intimidating for a beginner. My guess that Lee Valey or alike would be a better choice for a first plane. This way you would get good idea of what a plane suppose to be like and not be discouraged by bad results.

Dmitri